WAHINE BASKETBALL
Hartford jumps on Hawaii early
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The Rainbow Wahine basketball team failed to win the ninth straight tournament it hosted after losing to Hartford 76-63 yesterday in the semifinals of the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic.
Freshman Keisha Kanekoa led Hawaii with 15 points. The Rainbow Wahine did not score in the opening 5 minutes, allowing Hartford to jump out to a 9-0 lead.
It never got closer than eight the rest of the way.
The Hawks will square off against Virginia, which defeated Minnesota 73-62, for the tournament title, while Hawaii (3-2) faces the Gophers in the third-place game beginning at 3:20 p.m.
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A slow start by the Rainbow Wahine basketball team was all Hartford needed.
Hawaii did not score in the opening 5 minutes and the Hawks capitalized as they led wire-to-wire in defeating the Rainbow Wahine 76-63 yesterday in the semifinals of the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic.
Danielle Hood scored a game-high 17 points for Hartford, which confused the Rainbow Wahine with multiple looks on defense.
"They were jumping around from zone to man," freshman guard Keisha Kanekoa said. "It was hard to read and we had a hard time executing our plays."
Kanekoa finished with 15 points, six rebounds and five steals and sophomore Megan Tinnin added 12 points.
The Rainbow Wahine missed their first 10 shots as Hartford jumped out to a 9-0 lead.
Some of the shots were forced, but Hawaii also got good looks near the basket, but just couldn't convert.
Tanya Smith, who had a double-double in all four games this season, was held to just six points and two rebounds and did not play in the final 12 minutes.
"I needed somebody to get in there and get things going," Hawaii coach Jim Bolla said. "(Smith) missed five layups in the first half. We can't continue to have our post people miss those kinds of shots."
Four consecutive turnovers helped the Hawks lead by as many as 16 before Kanekoa heated up. The freshman guard scored seven of her 11 first-half points in the final 4 minutes as Hawaii closed to 41-30 at halftime.
The Rainbow Wahine missed opportunities to cash in from the free-throw line, as they were just 3-for-11 in the first half. The Hawks shot 58 percent from the field and had 19 points off of turnovers to build the 11-point lead.
"Free throws were atrocious," Bolla said. "There's no defense up there. They are free shots and we can't knock them down. For some reason we lose our focus."
Hawaii cut the lead to single digits twice in the second half, but Hood scored six straight points to build Hartford's lead back up to 15 and Hawaii never got closer.
"It seemed like any time we needed to get a stop, we couldn't," Bolla said.
Tinnin scored 10 of her 12 points after the break and reserve Ebony Jones scored six points and grabbed four rebounds in a season-high 13 minutes played.
Hawaii got 29 points from its bench, but starters Amy Kotani, Saundra Cariaga and Dita Liepkalne combined for just 13 points on 5-for-17 shooting.
Kanekoa was the only starter to shoot over 50 percent from the field.
"We've got to get people going in the first half that are starters and then we can bring those people in (off the bench) and give us a real boost," Bolla said.
Hawaii will play Minnesota today at 3:20 p.m. in the third-place game. Hartford and Virginia will follow for the championship.
Hartford 76, Hawaii 63
Hawks (5-1)
|
|
fg |
fga |
ft |
fta |
min |
reb |
a |
tp
|
McCabe |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
24 |
3 |
0 |
3
|
Etienne |
4 |
7 |
1 |
3 |
25 |
4 |
5 |
9
|
Hood |
7 |
14 |
3 |
3 |
19 |
5 |
1 |
17
|
Schaefer |
3 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
23 |
3 |
3 |
7
|
Delva |
6 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
6 |
0 |
12
|
Smith |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Pratt |
1 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
4
|
Gomez |
2 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
22 |
2 |
0 |
6
|
Weaver |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
0
|
Hollins |
2 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
4 |
3 |
4
|
Beverly |
5 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
19 |
5 |
2 |
10
|
Kelley |
2 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
4
|
Team |
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
Totals |
33 |
64 |
7 |
13 |
200 |
37 |
15 |
76 |
Rainbow Wahine (3-2)
|
|
fg |
fga |
ft |
fta |
min |
reb |
a |
tp
|
Liepkane |
2 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
31 |
7 |
4 |
4
|
Kotani |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
1 |
1 |
3
|
Cariaga |
3 |
10 |
0 |
1 |
26 |
6 |
2 |
6
|
Kanekoa |
6 |
11 |
2 |
4 |
32 |
6 |
3 |
15
|
Smith |
3 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
25 |
2 |
0 |
6
|
Tinnin |
4 |
10 |
3 |
5 |
26 |
4 |
0 |
12
|
Galdones |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
25 |
0 |
2 |
6
|
Zagrobelna |
2 |
5 |
1 |
7 |
13 |
3 |
0 |
5
|
Jones |
3 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
4 |
1 |
6
|
Team |
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
Totals |
26 |
61 |
8 |
21 |
200 |
36 |
13 |
63 |
Key -- fg: field goals made; fga: field goals attempted; ft: free throws made; fta: free throws attempted; min: minutes played; reb: rebounds; a: assists; tp: total points.
Halftime -- Hartford 41, Hawaii 30.
3-point goals -- Hartford 3-9 (McCabe 1-2, Schaefer 1-4, Gomez 1-1), Hawaii 3-13 (Kanekoa 1-2, Kotani 1-2, Tinnin 1-5, Cariaga 0-1, Zagrobelna 0-1, Liepkalne 0-2). Personal fouls -- Hartford 17, Hawaii 16.
Steals -- Hartford 9 (Etienne 2, Gomez 2, Schaefer 2, Delva 1, Hood 1, Kelley 1), Hawaii 9 (Kanekoa 5, Tinnin 2, Galdones 1, Smith 1). Blocked shots -- Hartford 1 (Weaver 1), Hawaii 3 (Jones 1, Smith 1, Zagrobelna 1. Turnovers -- Hartford 15 (Etienne 5, Gomez 4, Beverly 1, Hollins 1, Hood 1, Kelley 1, Schaefer 1, Weaver 1), Hawaii 18 (Liepkalne 5, Tinnin 4, Galdones 2, Kanekoa 2, Zagrobelna 2, Cariaga 1, Kotani 1, Smith 1).
Officials -- Melissa Barlow, Carla Fujimoto, Brian Yamasaki -- 1755.